Saskatoon's Rowan Calvert bangs away at a puck in the Raiders crease as Prince Albert netminder Max Hildebrand stands his ground Friday night at SaskTel Centre. (Mark Peterson/Prince Albert Raiders)

By Nolan Kowal

All square

Blades respond with Game 2 victory over Raiders as series shifts back to P.A.

Mar 29, 2024 | 11:36 PM

After a Game 1 victory for the Prince Albert Raiders on Thursday, the Saskatoon Blades responded with a win of their own in Game 2 Friday night at SaskTel Centre in what is turning out to be a very interesting first round playoff series between the two rivals.

The best of seven series is now tied at 1-1.

The Blades were able to win Game 2 by a final score of 4-1 due in large part to a solid performance from goaltender Evan Gardner who made 31 saves on Friday after fellow Blades goaltender Austin Elliott gave up four goals on 20 shots in Game 1 Thursday in a 4-3 Raiders win.

Despite Friday’s setback, it’s mission accomplished for the Raiders who earned a split in the first two games and have wrestled home ice away from the Blades heading back to the Art Hauser Centre for Games 3 and 4 next week.

“I’ve never been a part of it yet but I’ve heard many stories of how rowdy it gets [in the Art Hauser Centre], which is a huge advantage for us being at home,” said Raiders Assistant Coach Keaton Ellerby, referring to the series shifting back to Prince Albert. “We’re looking forward to it…obviously we would have liked to have gotten that one tonight, but getting that split was huge.”

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Saskatoon went 3 for 4 on the powerplay on Friday. The Raiders actually outshot the Blades 32-23 on the night.

Game 3 goes Tuesday night followed by Game 4 on Wednesday.

Game 5 will be in Saskatoon on April 5.

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nolan.kowal@pattisonmedia.com